Morning Edition

Schedule

88.5-1

Monday - Friday

5:00 am

Monday - Friday

6:00 am

Monday - Friday

6:50 am

Monday - Friday

8:00 am

Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. Hosts Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep present the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. While they are out traveling, David Greene can be heard as regular substitute host. Matt McCleskey and the WAMU news team bring the latest news from the Washington Metro area. Jerry Edwards keeps an eye on the daily commute. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Afghanistan is set to issue new national IDs that will have a person's ethnicity embedded in it electronically — but not printed on it. That's renewed debate over a divisive issue in a country made up of many different groups.

In a landmark step, militant fighters from the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, are beginning to withdraw from Turkey back to northern Iraq. The withdrawal will take months and the peace process will likely collapse unless Ankara enacts significant changes recognizing Kurdish rights within Turkey. But for now, people are allowing themselves to hope that this time it might work.

The neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, where three kidnapped women were held for about a decade is a mix of happiness and disbelief. Happy that the three were found safe. But there are questions about how they could have lived there for so many years without raising suspicion.

Three women rescued in Cleveland after going missing a decade ago have beaten the odds. In most cases, Justice Department statistics say victims don't survive that kind of ordeal. FBI forensic experts and victim specialists will be meeting with the women and their families, to try to start the process of helping them return to the world.

Pakistan has seen its share of wild political events: military coups, uprisings against dictators and even the occasional flash of democracy. But it has never seen this: An elected government has finished a full term, and is about to be replaced by another elected government in elections this weekend. The threat of attacks, however, has shut down large public rallies.

The investigation continues into whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, received training and inspiration to commit violent acts from extremists abroad. Belgium and other European countries are increasingly concerned about their young people going abroad to seek jihad — wherever that may lead.

A report from the Federal Reserve says the number of U.S. dollars in circulation keeps rising. Most of it goes overseas, in the form of $100 bills. People in countries like Russia and Argentina use $100 bills as a safe haven because they don't trust their national currency or their own banks.

Turkey has become a popular destination for people looking for hair implants, and now that's expanding to facial hair. The Wall Street Journal reports that men hoping for a Tom Selleck mustache or an Abe Lincoln beard are heading to Turkey.

With treasury yields near historic lows, and cash and money markets yielding almost nothing, investors are putting their money in stocks. Analysts say the Federal Reserve's efforts to keep interest rates extremely low are a key driver.

KCST radio reports the first man started a fire in the carport to get warm. When the fire got out of control, a second worker used an excavator to knock down the carport — but the fire had spread to a tree. Which explains why the workers cut down the 120-foot Douglas fir — causing it to crash on the vacant house they were fixing.

Former Republican Governor Mark Sanford reclaimed his political career Tuesday night, winning the South Carolina congressional seat he once held. He defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a special election.

For the first time, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has referred a criminal case to the Department of Justice. The bureau accuses a debt relief company called Mission Settlement Agency of bilking consumers out of millions. The suit alleges the company lied about fees and its results.

When you give to WAMU, your tax-deductible membership gift helps make possible award-winning programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, and other favorites.